SHAPING NURSING'S FUTURE POST PANDEMIC
We would describe the last 24 months as incredibly eventful and trying. Nurse leaders worldwide have responded to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the health care system. Explicitly, these effects are staffing, nursing education, infection control practices, no beds available to admit patients, and employee well-being and resilience. The initial variant and subsequent waves hit countries and communities vigorously. As a result, nurse leaders have been called upon to respond to patients who have opted to forego getting vaccinated, those with preexisting conditions who have experienced new exacerbations amidst capacity constraints, and countless changing guidelines about quarantining after exposure, requiring quick pivots and further actions.
The pandemic has highlighted weaknesses in our health care system that we believed we had time to correct. Unfortunately, this pandemic did not wait for us to address health inequities, nursing burnout, the nursing shortage, and racial strife, among our other woes. The theme for this issue of Nursing Administration Quarterly (NAQ) is "Shaping the Future of Nursing Postpandemic." While it is hard to say precisely when we will be "postpandemic," the articles in this issue highlight responses to the preexisting conditions we faced and the pandemic with an eye toward the future. COVID-19 gave leaders the courage to make real-time changes without a study group or committee. As a result, this issue of NAQ encompasses solutions, approaches, and innovations that give us hope and courage because our colleagues have given us a map.
This collection of articles represents the leadership, problem solving, and ingenuity required to persevere in trying times. Four major themes emerged from the articles, all worth noting for guiding leadership practice. The first theme that emerged was transparency. Raso begins by sharing her authentic narrative of the response at a leading major New York City academic medical center during the initial spring 2020 surge of the pandemic. She described the challenges faced, how each was addressed, while providing an orientation toward the future implications for nurse leaders.
A second theme was a focus on partnerships. Several authors described how their preexisting and new relationships enabled them to be creative and adaptive for purposes of meeting community needs. Cleary and her colleagues discussed how their collaboration allowed them to provide testing and vaccination support. Harper and colleagues provide an overview of a robust, long-standing academic-practice partnership that shifted quickly in response to the pandemic to supplement hospital nurse staffing with surge support from faculty and students and enhance the delivery of rapidly changing information to nursing staff. Shirey and colleagues demonstrate how to build capacity through a telehealth partnership.
The third theme centered on barriers that stand in the way of full practice authority for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and the need for health equity for all. The article by Kleinpell and colleagues provide advice for nurse leaders to understand the context of APRN practice and the pivotal role nurse leaders can play in eliminating barriers to full practice authority. Burnes Bolton and colleagues provide insight into the pursuit of health equity even during a pandemic.
The fourth and final theme demonstrated an ongoing commitment to professional excellence and leadership. Recognizing the need to pivot and make progress, Feistritzer and her colleagues provide vision and direction for professional governance postpandemic. Grubaugh and Bernard provide leadership insight needed to move forward postpandemic. Although it is unclear how long this pandemic will last, we cannot "go back to the way it used to be," as the pandemic has taught us that it is no longer business as usual. Gone are the days that we could allow ineffective communication, inertia in practice, and nonproductive methods in our organizations. We appreciate each author's contributions and perspectives as we together are all part of the postpandemic solutions.
-Rhonda Foster, EdD, MPH, MS, RN, NEA-BC
Consultant and Executive Leader
American Nurses Association
Silver Spring, Maryland
-David Marshall, JD, DNP, RN, CENP, FAONL, FAAN
Senior Vice President & Chief Nursing Executive
Cedars-Sinai
Los Angeles, California